Danielle Blog

Fitting into a smaller size of jeans!

As I mentioned previously, I became more concerned about my size when I realized that I no longer fit into a pair of shorts that I wore two years ago. And the pair that I fit into last summer was rather tight too. That realization, plus Texas Seestor’s efforts to lose all the weight she gained from being pregnant and giving birth to my two nieces inspired me to adopt a weight-watcher’s-like method of food intake.

(do you like that? “food intake”? I couldn’t resist geeking out by using a science phrase)

Anyway, I’ve gone into much detail about my altered food choices and how week-by-week I’m losing about a pound or more until my pants have become hopelessly baggy.

I went pants shopping on Sunday. I had also hoped to find the skirts at Target (or other store) that Texas Seestor found at her Target in TX to substitute for shorts sometimes. take-home message: it wasn’t a total success, but I did have some excitement too!

The order of stores was somewhat dependent upon location and the most reasonable path of driving.
I started at Chico’s to check out their clearance rack. No pants with pockets. Note: I have to keep my office door locked even when I step out to get water or go to the bathroom. There have been thefts from offices that were open even just for a minute or two AND in the past, there were thefts from offices that were locked! If I don’t have a pocket for my keys, I forget to bring them with me and I lock myself out.
Also at Chico’s one skirt made me look bad (i.e. chubby).

I moved on to Target to try to find the skirts. No decent skirts. Has anyone else noticed that they are selling skirts that are about a foot long! eek! They are clearly intended for either teens with small butts or very petite women (with small butts). I did fall-back, unintentionally, on my usual shopping pattern which is to buy tops when I really went out shopping for pants…
… but they were too cute to resist! And now that my stomach isn’t so poochy, I wanted a couple that were just a hair more fitted.

Next was Dress Barn. This is the place where I purchased my last set of dressy pants for teaching. However, there is a problem with Dress Barn right now. For one thing, it is dress season! The whole front half (or more) of their store is taken up by dresses. I didn’t really want to buy a dress, not that I wasn’t tempted. I was on a mission for pants!
Again, they sold ONE style of pants with pockets – they were cut waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too tight. Or at least, that was my take on the lack of a good fit.
BUT I did find two more tops! (see the aforementioned pattern) One of them is dressy enough for teaching. The other just fulfills my need to have something new and pretty to wear.
I almost bought a jacket too (on clearance) until I realized that I wouldn’t be able to lift my arm comfortably to write up on a chalkboard. I have to remember to check these things when I buy clothes now. I also always have to lean over and see if my bra shows too (cut too low), since I’m constantly leaning over lab tables too when I explain things to students in lab. The last thing I need is for a group of guys sitting on the opposite side of the table to see down my shirt.

Next was Kohl’s. As I was going there, I started thinking about how I also really need at least one new pair of jeans that also don’t bag off of me hopelessly. I can pull out my current pair and probably fit at least one of Diana Gabaldon’s newer hardback books in the front waistband. (and maybe one of her Lord John books too!) Note, I do not say this to indicate they would be great for shoplifting! Far from it. I’m just trying to find something that is sort of a standard size. And I know that many of you have read her books. For those of you who do not know her books, I could fit one of those big containers of lysol wipes in the front of my pants when I’m wearing jeans that I wore the day before (i.e. waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too baggy).

Anyway, I found my standard pair of relaxed fit Lee jeans (straight leg) – and here is the excitement – drumroll please!
I fit into the next size smaller!!!! And they looked good!!!
Of course, they didn’t have any more. Of any color. Again, wrong season for buying jeans.
I know Penny’s carries Lee too, so I’ll have to venture over there and try to get a second pair. I can’t imagine that I’ll go down one more size, so I might as well buy them. Note that the more fitted styles of jeans continued to look tight. One pair had promise, but I had a bit of a muffin-top going on with that one, which made me pull them off in disgust. I would say that I ripped them off, but you know, part of the problem with pants shopping is those little plastic T-bar things that hold the tags in the waistband. Those things scratch and HURT when they go over my hips and thighs! I realized that the tag fasteners are part of what makes me hate pants-shopping!
Retailers – take note!!

I think I tried on about 20 pairs of pants (lots of scratching). I’m sure the fitting room people loved me at having to fold them all and put them back. I did my best to sort of put them back the way they started.

I also tried on their version of dressy pants. Again they don’t sell much that is dressing; it is mainly the Vera Wang line which are far too fitted. So, I continue to wear black jeans for teaching. At this point, no one cares – including me. We are all starting to wear more jeans than pants to teach.

Texas Seestor DID tell me after I relayed this shopping expedition to her that she has been seeing ads for a new style of Lee jeans that is supposed to be more generously cut in the hips and thighs with a slightly tighter waist. I guess I’ll just have to keep an eye out for them to arrive in stores.

In the meantime, can you believe that I have jeans of four different sizes in my closet now???
Take the size that is sort of standard for you. Now, go up two sizes. Doesn’t that make you gasp?! THAT was my size when I finished writing my thesis. Now, go down one size. For me, I can’t even remember when I was last this size…
… maybe undergrad?
That is my current size. At least in the style of jeans that I’ve been buying for about 20 years.

This deserves a cheer!

The sad part about this is that my first thought was: I deserve a brownie or cupcake for this!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!

And that, right there, folks, is what I battle.

I’m trying to change my reward to bouquets of flowers. Or just a few flowers even. But it is hard to alter decades of thinking that a reward means a chocolate dessert.

I sigh.

I’ve also caught myself thinking about little goodbye gatherings at school or church. And of course, the first thing that crosses my mind is that it should be a lunch party, or an afternoon snack party. And I start thinking about the food I would bring. Invariably, I start envisioning the Ghirardelli double-chocolate brownie mix that I love or maybe cheese and crackers. Doesn’t the blue cheese ball sound good?
I suppose that I could make those things and have a tiny amount of it. I know that part of changing my food habits is to still allow myself to splurge sometimes. But honestly, right now, I’m still working at this really hard. And I sort of feel like a crack in the dam is going to make it burst. Right now, it is easier for me to eliminate it entirely than to limit myself to a small amount. With one bite, I’m lost.

Eventually, I expect to get to the point where I can go ahead and have small amounts of desserts and stop at a few bites. But it is going to take time for me to get to that point.

And in the meantime, I have to keep thinking about that size of jeans that is smaller than anything I’ve worn in years. And that makes me happy.

I think it is time to go buy a bouquet of flowers, don’t you?

;-D